Health care associated infections (HAIs) have a major impact on the quality of the care we provide for our patients. Under the umbrella of patient safety, the prevention and control of these infections has become a major challenge that needs to be addressed by all those working in health care systems.

The International Federation of Infection Control (IFIC) has been associated with eleven past Conferences, held in countries ranging from Turkey to Chile, Lithuania to South Africa. IFIC conferences are international in scope, with lecturers and participants from all over the world.

They provide an opportunity to meet internationally renowned experts and opinion leaders, hear state of the art presentations, and participate in workshops and seminars. The generous amount of time allotted to discussions and workshops, with considerable interaction between the audience and invited experts also provides a unique forum to network with colleagues from all over the world.

The Chair and Board of IFIC are pleased to invite you to Zagreb, Croatia for the 12th IFIC Conference, to be held from 10th to 13th October 2012.

CONGRESS OVERVIEW

The Twelfth Congress of the International Federation of Infection Control (IFIC2012) will run from Wednesday 10 October 2012 until Saturday 13 October 2012 and will be held in collaboration with the Croatian Society for Medical Microbiology and Parasitology.

The official language of the congress shall be English but simultaneous translation to Croatian will also be available in selected sessions. Further information on the congress can be accessed from the website: http://www.ific2012.com/

CONGRESS VENUE

CONFERENCE COORDINATOR

REGISTRATION

Conference registration will commence on the 15 March 2012. Early bird reduced fees will be applicable until the 31 July 2012. Registration can be performed online or by downloading the registration form from the congress website and mailing or faxing it to the organisers.

All applications should be accompanied by payment of the full registration fee, using either credit card or bank transfer.

Registration fee for participants includes:

Registration fee for accompanying persons includes:

ACCOMMODATION

A range of hotel accommodation will be available in various categories and price ranges. Hotel bookings will be possible from the 15 March 2012 via the congress website. An interesting social programme, including half and full day tours and excursions, will also be available.

SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME

As with previous editions, IFIC2012 will guarantee an outstanding educational experience for a multi-disciplinary delegate mix from medical, nursing and other backgrounds. This shall be achieved through a combination of state-of-the-art lectures, symposia, pro-and-con debates and industry organised sessions. The academic programme will be regularly updated on the congress website.

In addition, IFIC conferences are recognised as venues for effective networking and experience sharing between the participating delegates. This will be enhanced through numerous small group workshops and buzz groups as well as the general organisation of the event.

Delegates will also have an extensive opportunity to share their research and experience through oral as well as poster presentations.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

All abstracts for oral and poster presentations should be submitted in English. Only online submissions will be accepted. Application forms will be available from the website by the 15 March 2012. The deadline for abstract submission is 30 May 2012. The decision of the adjudicating committee will be communicated by 30 June 2012. .

IFIC SCHOLARSHIPS

As in previous years, IFIC will facilitate attendance through a number of scholarships. At least one main award will be awarded, consisting of:

• free conference registration
• travel (based on the cheapest economy itinerary, up till a maximum of €1000)
• accommodation for the conference duration on a bed and breakfast basis

A number of smaller bursaries are also usually awarded, covering:

• free conference registration
• accommodation for the duration of the conference on a bed and breakfast basis

In addition, all scholarship recipients will be invited to present a write-up in English of their conference presentation, for publication in the International Journal of Infection Control (http://www.ijic.info/). The submission should be at least 1000 words and can be presented as soon as notification of acceptance has been received. An additional award of 200 will be made once the paper has been accepted.

Applicants must be active in the practice of infection control. Preference will be given to participants living in countries with limited resources and to young infection control practitioners/trainees.

Two types of submissions are accepted:

• Research-based: describing a formal study on a specific aspect of infection prevention and control.
• "How we did it": providing a more descriptive account of how infection control practitioners or teams tackled a specific challenge or brought improvement in healthcare associated infections within their institution or country.

Scholarship application forms are now available from the website: http://www.theific.org/. The deadline for scholarship applications is 15 April 2012.

HOTELS

Rooms at a special congress rate have been reserved at the hotels below. Please note that Zagreb is characterized by a relatively restricted number of lower category hotels within the city centre - offering a short walking access to the congress hotel - it is therefore strongly recommended to book Hotel Central and Hotel Jadran as early as possible.

TRAVELLING TO ZAGREB

Flight Airport

Zagreb Pleso Airport is located about 16 kms from the congress venue and the city centre.
Zagreb has a direct flight connection to the main European airports (Amsterdam, Brussels, Budapest, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Istanbul, London, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Vienna).

Transfer from the airport to the city centre

By taxi: some of the taxi companies working at the airport are Cameo, Radio Taxi Zagreb, Oryx and Eco. A trip from the airport to the congress venue should be around 95-120 Kuna (cca. 13- 16 EUR) as measured by the taximeter. For your return trip, you may simply order a taxi at your hotel reception.
By bus: Croatia Airlines are operating a bus service to the central train station in every hour. Price is 30 Kuna (cca. 4,5 EUR). The train station is 700 meters walking distance from the Sheraton Zagreb.

Train

Zagreb is served by easy train connection on a daily basis from the surrounding countries from departure cities such as Venice (7 hours), Ljubljana (2 hours), Vienna (6 hours), Budapest (6 hours) and Belgrade (7 hours). Zagreb train station is just opposite the Hotel Central and about 700 meters walking distance from the congress venue, the Sheraton Zagreb.

Car

Zagreb is linked by a few hours drive motorway connection to the neighbouing countries such as Slovenia, Serbia, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. Due to its relative proximity, delegates also from Slovakia, Austria, South Germany and Northern part of Italy may consider the option of travelling to Zagreb by car.

Further travelling information is also available at:
http://www.hotel-sheratonzagreb.com/how_to_reach_us.

About Zagreb

The capital of the Republic Croatia is the centre of cultural and entertainment offer. Today's Zagreb has grown out of two medieval settlements that for centuries developed on neighbouring hills, Kaptol and Gradec.
The old city walls and towers together with numerous parks and lavishing palaces, monasteries and churches act as a setting for everyday life and the city's cultural and art events. In addition to multiple historical sights, Zagreb offers to its citizens and tourists a diverse cultural program and the city's night life is enriched by theatre plays, both classical and pop concerts and a number of festivals.

History and architecture

Regarding Zagreb's past and significance, this central European city is rich with cultural and architectural monuments. Int he city center you will find extreme diversity in architecture, form baroque, romanticism to noways. The most recognizable city attractions include the Croatian National Theatre, settled in amazing neo-baroque building and the Zagreb Cathedral, most valuable monument of Croatian cultural heritage.

Historical core of the city

Upper Town or Gradec, make the historical core of the Zagreb city. Main square of the Upper Town is the St. Mark Square, once a trading venue and nowadays the political center of Zagreb. The square is dominated by church of Sr. Mark, gothic building dating from the 14th century.

Lower Town

Lower Town of Zagreb is the urban centre of modern Zagreb. Its architecture mainly dates from the 19th and 20th century. Meeting place for most citizens of Zagreb and the biggest pedestrian zone in town, the main city square, Ban Josip Jelacic Square, is also the boundary between Upper and Lower Town.

Visa

Nationals of the following states do not require a visa for entering Croatia:
Argentine, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Francec, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, United States of America.
The full list of countries with no visa requirements to Croatia is available at http://www.mfa.hr/mvp.asp?pcpid=1615
Information on how to obtain a visa – in case if needed – is also available at the above link.

Climate

Zagreb has a continental climate. Average early morning temperatures are around 6-7 Celsius, while around 15-17 Celsius during the day. The average number of rainy days in October is around 10 days.

Congress venue

The congress is located at the Sheraton Zagreb Hotel, located within 1.000 meter walking distance to the ultimate city centre (Ban Josip Jelacic Square) and about 16 kms from Zagreb Pleso Airport.
Address: Borne 2, Zagreb 10000, Croatia

Currency

Croatia's official currency is the Croatian Kuna (HRK). 1 EUR is around 7,5 HRK.

Others

Banking hours

From Monday to Friday between 08:00-16:00 hrs.

Shopping hours

From Monday to Saturday between 08:00-19:00 hrs. Shops are closed on Sunday.

Congress language

The official language of the congress is English, however plenary sessions and 1 parallel session will be interpreted into Croatian.

Insurance

Participants are advised to carry appropriate travelling and health insurance

Registration fees

Hotel accommodation

Congress Bureau

Academic & scholarship information

International Federation of Infection Control (IFIC)

Croatian Society for Medical Microbiology and Parasitology